Feb 20 2008Get Green: Build Your Own Hobbit House
Let's be honest, the Hobbit houses from Lord of the Rings were awesome and we all wanted one. Maybe not to live in all the time, but at least as a vacation home or secret get-away from a nagging spouse. Well now is the time to build your own low impact woodland home.
You are looking at pictures of our family home in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cozy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3,000 (~$5,825) put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms.
Wow, I totally want one. I'm going all out Hobbit. Now somebody come over and help me saw my legs off below the knees.
Another picture, some specs, and a link to the build page after the jump.
Some key points of the design and construction:
* Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
* Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
* Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
* Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do
* Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
* Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
* Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
* Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
* Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring...)
* Woodburner for heating - renewable and locally plentiful
* Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
* Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
* Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
* Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
* Water by gravity from nearby spring
* Compost toilet
* Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.
Reader Comments
1. victor - February 20, 2008 4:58 PM
wow, that is amazing! interior looks awesome too
2. guate6 - February 20, 2008 5:14 PM
I was sold up until the "compost toilet." I'm not big into night soil. What good is a house that smells like fecal matter? I'd do it all but I'd leave that part out, making a water closet a bit away from the main foundation or getting real plumbing. Otherwise though, very neat.
3. Juanjo Vargas - February 20, 2008 5:20 PM
Hobbits dont have houses, they have holes. And this is not a Hobbits hole, the door should be circular and well... check this :) http://www.ourhobbithole.com/
4. boredom - February 20, 2008 5:34 PM
@3 please just stop, put down the computer and walk away no one cares.
I agree with 2 and I'd probably live there being it looks cool as shit but smelling like shit just doesn't go well in my book. I'm not into the whole 'green' crap but this is a heck of a maintenence free house
5. SlowMonkey - February 20, 2008 7:07 PM
Have to agree on the compost toilet. A septic tank and a toilet system using rain water would be fine. This is my favorite house ever.
6. bethany - February 20, 2008 10:11 PM
I love it. Do you think you could even get away with building one of these in the US? I'd love to do this sort of thing, but wouldn't the city come in and make me follow some sort of building codes? How did they get to do this?
7. that guy - February 20, 2008 10:36 PM
I am curious of that to. This looks like fun :).
8. laz - February 21, 2008 3:08 AM
i'm not actually sure what a compost toilet is (i can assume), but i'm quite sure that the people, after going through the effort of building this entire house, would have done something to combat a permanent shitty smell from the toilet. no?
9. Bobeyo - February 21, 2008 9:37 AM
Actually, I was about to say what #3 said: the door should really be round. It just isn't right without the round door. AT ALL.
10. constant drama - February 21, 2008 12:51 PM
Hey I'm 5'1. I can totally fit in that. I can just walk around without bending over.
11. Rocko Solido - February 21, 2008 2:31 PM
I'm like 5'6", I could live like a king in there!
12. NastyBedazzler - February 23, 2008 12:18 AM
This is sweet as hell.
I went and checked out the guys website too, all very interesting. It almost makes me wish I was a hobbit except for the fact that I don't wish I was a hobbit at all.
13. RoyGBiv - February 23, 2008 1:39 PM
In two years, he'll be living with termites.
14. dnlxl - February 27, 2008 1:56 AM
Incredible! We need more pictures and info!!
15. thatotherguy - February 28, 2008 12:46 PM
@13
In Wales? Unlikely.
Rotten straw under the floodboards that he'll have to dig out manually and a leaky roof are possible though.
16. Barb - March 3, 2008 7:00 PM
WOW is that for real, beats my trailer hands down. for all u townies, the compost bog doesnt smell if done properly. Cud i make it so inconcpicuous that i cud find any random hill and build it, cud start another origanal dollys dump, but underground.